Re: Hello, new member!!

Heather, Teddy had an exterior drain, not bad but takes some getting used too. Let me know when you know and I will give you some good hints on caring for it. I fully understand your security blanket, Charlie Brown! Why the Morphine, didn't know he was in pain. Do you know what they are giving him? Teddy used to get these blood infections often and we found that Levaquin knocked it right out of him. That's all he took nothing else and it worked wonderful. It's one of the strongest there is and his ONC used to say it will kill anything that should be there! Not sure why MDA want to do an external drain instead of where Gordon is being treated. Our hospital did both kinds of drains. Please stay in close touch! Be Strong.

Teddy ~In our hearts forever~ATTITUDE is EVERYTHINGAny suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.

Re: Hello, new member!!

Yes he has been in pain, Im not sure what type of antibiotics but they will keep him on levaquin until surgery. They have him on hydro morphine for pain....he just pushes a button when he needs meds. He has never had this much pain with one of these infections. Tomorrow they will attempt to put new stents in with the dr we really like and we do not have to go to Houston yet. But if they have trouble the gi dr here will send him because dr vauthey wants to do the drain because of the upcoming surgery I guess. I was heading home from the hospital and got a call from my very upset 6 year old(who is staying with his Aunt) and so I had to go get him. he needs his Mommy so he will go up to the hospital tomorrow to surprise his Daddy before the procedure starts. So yes he is improving but will not completely be better until they get those nasty stents out and replace them. and look forward the the surgery when he wont need them at all!! Thanks so much for keeping up on your minds and in your hearts!!

My husband is my hero!!! Love him so much!! We are going to fight the best we can with knowledge, support from friends and strangers and God getting us through!!

Re: Hello, new member!!

Hi Heather,

I hope the stenting goes well today for your husband and that he starts to feel better and in less pain. My sister had 2 external drains - one was put in before they bulked her liver in the run up to her resection.

Re: Hello, new member!!

Our little one is mucho better since he is with and was able to see his Daddy. Gordon is in sugery now to replace the stents. He has improved alot over night an today. Not much pain and his white blood cell count is normal.

My husband is my hero!!! Love him so much!! We are going to fight the best we can with knowledge, support from friends and strangers and God getting us through!!

Re: Hello, new member!!

my poor husband.....he is struggling with gas build up from the procedure and is also having pain from I guess having two procedures in two weeks. His pain is under control and he is able to rest which i have been able to work but I cant see straight anymore so the computer needs to go off!! Hoping he will get some relief tomorrow.

My husband is my hero!!! Love him so much!! We are going to fight the best we can with knowledge, support from friends and strangers and God getting us through!!

Re: Hello, new member!!

Gordon should go home tomorrow. He is much better, he was up all night last night getting rid of the "discomfort" I stayed home with our little one, he had been left so much he needed me. Gordon got alot of rest at the hospital believe or not. they knew he needed and I got caught up on things here at the house and some much needed time with our son. And after sleeping I was able to think clearer. When Gordon was in the hospital for 16 days when he was diagnosed I never left the hospital, unless it was running a quick errand. I pray he stays healthy and surgery goes well. His beliruben is lowering after the stent replacement but his white blood cell level is still high. They dont seem too worried about it....

I do have a question....I was reassured from the doctor that the surgery is 90% sure should be a success. I have seen post that maybe it happens more time than realized that they get in there and it can't, can anyone get me advise on this?

My husband is my hero!!! Love him so much!! We are going to fight the best we can with knowledge, support from friends and strangers and God getting us through!!

Re: Hello, new member!!

Heather glad to hear of the improvements and may they continue. I know this sounds rather cliché but none of us, know what is really in there until the Surgeon goes in. Teddy's Surgeon said the same thing before his Whipple. Oddly enough he had to abort after 4 hours as he needed to cut the head of the Pancreas to make sure the CC had not spread. He could not cut it due to the fact that the dye from the Endo leaked on the Pancreas and destroyed it to the point it could not be cut. Teddy should have been in crippling pain from this but never said a word. We had to give it 3 weeks to heal and then the real deal was done. I told him I was sorry he had to go through a rehearsal first! This shows how no one knows until they see. The Surgeon also told us that the longer he was in there the better the news. For now the good news is Gordon is coming home and I bet your son will be ecstatic too. Try to concentrate on today more than tomorrow.

Teddy ~In our hearts forever~ATTITUDE is EVERYTHINGAny suggestion I offer is intended as friendly advice based solely on my own experience. Please consult your doctor for professional guidance.

Re: Hello, new member!!

Hi Heather. When we met Dr. Aloia in March he gave my husband a 70% possibility that Le would be resectable, the 30% he will confirm with his retinal scan once he opens Le up. Le's labs were normal with negative tumor markers. CT scans only showed the primary tumor in the bile duct. So we scheduled the surgery for April. When Dr. Aloia opened Le up, he said he could see abt 20 metastasis in the peritoneal so he had to abort the surgery after 3 hrs. He did remove the gall bladder though and said that should prevent the metastasis from spreading to the gall bladder and having the possibility of dealing with that in the future and it also helps with the chemo side effects.

Re: Hello, new member!!

Thank you Susan.....how is your husband doing?

Gordon isn't getting out of the hospital until tomorrow, his white blood cell count needs to go down a little more. I'm waiting to here from MDA if they will want to see him too, just hoping they don't change the surgery date but understand.

My husband is my hero!!! Love him so much!! We are going to fight the best we can with knowledge, support from friends and strangers and God getting us through!!

Re: Hello, new member!!

Heather....I would like to add to Susan's great response that the plate thickness of a scan machine is 1cm. Hence anything below that size is not visible and that is why we are told that the true extent of the disease only can be determined by the surgeon during surgery.Hugs and good luck on the reduction of the white blood cells.Marion

THIS INFORMATION IS NOT INTENDED NOR IMPLIED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF YOUR PHYSICIAN OR OTHER QUALIFIED HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Re: Hello, new member!!

Heather,

You husband and your family are in my thoughts today. best of luck on reducing the WBC count for Gordon. I hope that you are getting some support from your family and friends during this tyring time... keep us posted.

Re: Hello, new member!!

Gordon is home now. Doing well, the surgery date is still August 20th. After visiting with the drs on the phone today and updating them we feel good about this surgery. Thank you guys for your thoughts and prayers.

Heather

My husband is my hero!!! Love him so much!! We are going to fight the best we can with knowledge, support from friends and strangers and God getting us through!!

Re: Hello, new member!!

Hi Heather,

Glad to hear that Gordon is now home and doing well. I hope his surgery goes well and my fingers will be crossed for him for a successful surgery too! Remember please to keep us updated on how everything goes, we are here for you.

Best wishes to you and Gordon,

Gavin

Any advice or comments I give are based on personal experiences and knowledge and are my opinions only, they are not to be substituted for professional medical advice. Please seek professional advice from a qualified doctor or medical professional.

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